$5 million every day

By John Bebow | Published: April 17, 2008

That’s what Michigan taxpayers spend on the state’s bursting-at-the-seams prison system.

Readers of “Fresh Thoughts” already knew many of the details of a Detroit News special report this week on Michigan’s failure to bring prison spending under control. Just last week we raised concern over new state projections showing Michigan is on pace to reach 55,000 prison inmates by 2012 – a 77% increase since 1991.

But the Detroit News series is an excellent resource for any engaged citizen interested in spreading the word about Lansing’s mixed up budget priorities. The series found that:

  • One in three state government workers work for the prison system compared to fewer than one in ten a generation ago.
  • There is a direct relationship between burgeoning prison spending and cuts to crucial long-term strategic investments like universities and environmental protection.
  • Michigan’s incarceration rate is ninth highest in the nation and much more reflective of the Deep South than our Midwestern neighbors.
  • Tougher sentences since the 1980s have had little or no effect on the state’s violent crime rate in comparison to national averages. In other words, other states that spend far less on prisons and put fewer people behind bars are every bit as safe, or safer, than Michigan.
  • While the state is studying potential cost savings, some county sheriffs are moving quickly to privatize such services as prisoner food prep and are saving millions by doing so.
  • Worst of all, efforts to reform sentencing guidelines are unlikely to go anywhere soon.
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